Using the bandsaw in the pen making process

[DRAT]

I guess bandsaws are built to cut curves.

I have a bandsaw that just refuses to cut straight lines. I am interested in doing some segmenting. But my bandsaw won't cut straight lines what do you recommend I do to get straight lines? Should I use some other type of saw? What do you use to get straight cuts?

DrAT

 

[maxman400]

I use a miter saw, a 7 1/2 chop saw and sanders. I have not been able to get accurate cuts with my band saw.

 

[Kirk Dietrich]

Not sure what you're trying to cut but I use a table saw, miter saw and band saw. The wider the blade on the band saw, the easier it will be to get a straight cut. There are mini versions of the above too that may work better for small stuff, I just make due with what I have. Making a jig often helps too with the different saws. Alot of woodworking is 99% setup with jigs and fences, etc. if you want precision.

Kirk

 

[Tim'sTurnings]

I use my table saw to get a straight cuts for pen blanks and I have used it to make segmented pens with no problems. (I can't get perfect cuts on my bandsaw either)

 

[Carl Fisher]

Sounds like you need to do some tuning on your bandsaw honestly. Lots of good info out there.

 

[robutacion]

Bandsaws are one of the machines harder to tune and keep tuned, they have a large number of tuning/adjustment points, everything and or any of them is capable to make straight cuts made with the use of the fence, impossible or very difficult.

There are many articles already, including YouTube videos explaining/showing the bandsaw tuning process, the general opinion that bad bandsaw performance is always caused by the blade, couldn't be further from the truth.

The best way to get your bandsaw tuned, is to take one step at the time and start from one end and finish on the other, missing nothing, short cuts just do not work on a bandsaw, they as machines, have a learning curve as any other pieces of machinery/equipment, know your bandsaw ins and outs, see how it all works and make sure that, when working on it, the blade is not in it or, the power plug is removed from the power point, remember, short cuts on these machines mean, nasty accidents, believe me, I know...!

Good luck,

PS: If I was closer, I would certainly tune your bandsaw to precision/bandsaw capabilities but, that ain't possible sorry, however is pays to call someone that knows what they doing and have you around to see what and how its done, the next time, you can do it yourself, no problem...!

Cheers
George

 

[Exabian]

All i have is a bandsaw and I had the same issue. I did a lot of research on the issue and finally took some time cleaning and readjusting it, It cuts fine now. Check out the top an bottom buffer wheels near the blade they should be aligned and close enough to the blade to support it but limit movement. ( they should not touch the blade unless you marketing a cut; if they are to far it allows play) also make sure the blade is on the wheels correctly with the right amount of tension. But like Kirk said jigs help the most.

Try a cross cut sled. There are a few videos on YouTube that show how to make one. Here one of them:

sled for cutting segments on bandsaw - YouTube

Hope this helps.

 

[KBs Pensnmore]

I agree with George, get someone to show you how to set up your band-saw,
if no-one is close by go to the library section and look it up, it will be well worth it. Spend the time to understand and fine tune it and you won't look back. Every time you change blades it will need retuning. There are several books on the subject also.
I have a band saw and bench saw, the go to first is the band saw.
Kryn

 

[plantman]

:bananen_smilies068rat; Here is a little trick I use on my bandsaw to do segmenting work or any other cuting that needs to be square and evenly spaced. After you aline and square your bearings and blade, make a piece of scrap plywood the size of you saw table. Set it on your saw so it fits flush with the sides. Slide it up to the blade and mark where the blade hits the plywood. Now take a square and make a line straight on the board. Turn the saw on and cut halfway through the plywood, staying on the line. Look at your board and see how far it has moved right or left from the edge of your saw table. This is the drift, or how much out of square your saw is cutting. Don't move the plywood until you have measured this amount or clamped it to the table. Go to your tablesaw and cut a strip of wood that fits snugly in the mitor groove in the bandsaw. ( Do this before you make your cut so you can get a good fit ) Put some glue on it and slide it under the plywood in the miter groove. After this has dried, take your square and draw a line 90* to your saw cut where it ends. Glue or screw a 1 X 1 by the width of your plywood on this line. Make sure it stays on the line and is square to the saw cut. Now you have a zero clearance sliding table to use when you cut on the bandsaw. When you cut, just cut a little ways into your 1 X 1 stop block. Use this cut as a point to measure the length of the cuts you want to make. Clamp a stop to this length, and you will have perfectly matched and square pieces every time. I find if you use a skip tooth blade in your bandsaw you get better cuts and less heat build up. Jim S

 

[randyrls]

Check out any of the bandsaw books by Mark Duginske. "The New Complete Guide to the Bandsaw" is one and there are others. You may be able to find one at the local public library.

 

[Carl Fisher]

Sorry my response earlier was short, but didn't have much time to type anything out.

There is a lot to work with on a bandsaw and the popular opinion is that there will always be drift and to adjust to it. I'm of the opinion that is just poor tuning. The bandsaw has many parts that can be adjusted and any single one of them out of line will cause drift.

The first place to start is to take off the blade completely and start balancing your wheels. I drilled out holes in various places on mine to get it to balance properly. You could go the opposite way and add weights as well. The idea is that the wheel spins freely and stops on it's own at any point on the wheel without backing up or rocking into a "low spot" so to speak. There should also be no noticeable side to side wobble as long as the shaft was clean of debris when mouniting the wheels.

Next up is to get a long straight edge and make sure your wheels are coplaner. Your straight edge should be able to touch both the upper and lower wheel at both the top and bottom of each wheel with no gap. This will tell you that the wheels are true to each other and on the same plane. If not, adjust the wheels on their shafts until they are.

Next culprit would be your blade. A good quality blade will track well on a properly setup saw. A wider blade will also track straighter than a narrow blade. i.e. a 5/8" blade will track better than a 1/4" blade but won't be able to cut tight curves. To cut tighter curves, you sacrifice straight cutting capabilities. So pick which is more important to you or be prepared to swap blades regularly

Once you install the blade, play with the tracking on the blade. Where the blade tracks on the tires will affect how well the cut tracks straight. Sometimes you don't want to be dead center on the tire but more towards the front or rear. Varys depending on the saw.

Also make sure both your upper and lower guide blocks and bearings are setup properly to the blade you have installed so there is very little play when cutting.

Lastly, don't force the cut. Let the saw do the work while you gently guide the piece through the blade.


This is just a very short high level list. There are entire books out there dedicated to tuning your bandsaw. I suggest picking up something like the one mentioned above and reading it. The bandsaw is a machine and will require care like any other machine to keep it purring.

I also use a sled for most of my band saw cuts so I can make repeatable and accurate cuts every time.

 

[Dave Turner]

I've found that when I put a new blade on, it tends to cut perfectly straight. As it wears, I start getting a little drift. What I have read is that for the saw to cut straight, both sides of the blade teeth have to cut the wood identically. As the blade wears, the wear is not perfectly even on both sides, especially if you're cutting curves. Eventually, one side will cut better than the other and you end up with drift. If your fence is adjustable, it's an easy matter to angle the fence to match the drift.

 

[Charlie_W]

I've found that when I put a new blade on, it tends to cut perfectly straight. As it wears, I start getting a little drift. What I have read is that for the saw to cut straight, both sides of the blade teeth have to cut the wood identically. As the blade wears, the wear is not perfectly even on both sides, especially if you're cutting curves. Eventually, one side will cut better than the other and you end up with drift. If your fence is adjustable, it's an easy matter to angle the fence to match the drift.

As I was reading through the posts, I asked myself: Self, Has anyone said SHARP BLADE? Yes, a dull blade will give you fits.

 

[76winger]

Several good woods of wisdom already above. I followed the documentation that came with my shopsmith bandsaw to make all of the limited adjustments it has, and it does a pretty good job.

Blade getting dull is one of the bigger things I run into, and I think that has a lot to do with me trying to cut items bigger than this little bandsaw was designed to handle. Replace the blade, adjust everything for the new one, and back in business!

Deeper blades help keep the cutting straighter as well.

 

[jfoh]

What type of band saw do you have? Is it up to the job? A very small bench top saw with lots of plastic and sheet metal in it might not be stiff and sturdy enough for long term cutting. If you saw is up to the job it needs to be tuned and then you need to learn how to let the saw do all the work. Forcing the saw to cut too fast will make them all track poorly. Let the saw do the work and your fingers and wood will be much happier.